Warren Zimmermann

When Bosnian Serbs began the Bosnian war in the Spring of 1992, Croatia—which was also warring with Serbs—was in alliance with Bosnia. However, Croats who lived in Bosnia feared that the newly independent state of Bosnia—which was dominated by Muslims—posed a threat to them. In consequence, Bosnian Croats declared the Croatian independent state of Herceg-Bosna in July 1992 and began to fight the Muslims. Finally, in February 1994, the Bosnian government and the Croatian Defense Council agreed on a ceasefire accord. Bosnia's president Alija Izetbegovic and Croatia's president Franjo Tudjman then signed an agreement to link Bosnia and Croatia in a federation.

In the following excerpt from his book Origins of a Catastrophe, Warren Zimmermann recalls an interview he conducted in 1992 with Croatia's president. Zimmermann, who served as the United States ambassador to...